kansas convertible insallers/repair

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2.0tPassat
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Joined: Wed Mar 24, 2010 10:47 pm
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Do you own a Cabriolet?: Yes
Location: ft riley, kansas

kansas convertible insallers/repair

Post by 2.0tPassat »

well hello to all. new to here and just picked up my first mk1 but 15th vw, 82 cabby. lovin it and lovin being back in an older vw but not lovin the top thats on it. so my question is, is there any good shops that will replace or repair tops in kansas, semi close to ft riley? dont wanna try and do this my self due to my short temper and being easly frustrated. or if there s a place that sells them ready to just "pop" on, with no cutting and ish like that?thanks in advance
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Briano1234
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Re: kansas convertible insallers/repair

Post by Briano1234 »

No body sells a ready made kit.
They all take cutting and stapling.

Now have you ever seen a Red Headed American of Irish distraction have a
long fuse?

my how too and a long weekend will do you good.

viewtopic.php?f=8&t=2224
Briano

Yes as matter of fact, I have the Luck o'the Irish...everything I touch turns to fertilizer of the bovine variety.
You can lead a user to a link, but you can't make him Click.... :screwy:
2.0tPassat
Posts: 4
Joined: Wed Mar 24, 2010 10:47 pm
What year is your cabby?: 1982
Do you own a Cabriolet?: Yes
Location: ft riley, kansas

Re: kansas convertible insallers/repair

Post by 2.0tPassat »

well damn that stinks about the pop on and go!! well then who makes the best quality replacement cause i see a lot on ebay but kind of sketchy. and yeh i think i looked at your write up on replacementand a few others. thanks
CalAltaDubber
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Re: kansas convertible insallers/repair

Post by CalAltaDubber »

2.0tPassat wrote:well damn that stinks about the pop on and go!! well then who makes the best quality replacement cause i see a lot on ebay but kind of sketchy. and yeh i think i looked at your write up on replacementand a few others. thanks
Hi and welcome to TRF.

Brian's write up is pretty well the best "how to" there is on the subject.

Our good friend Kami has a list of good quality suppliers on her site http://www.cabby-info.com.

A couple of options you might look at are:

1 Going to a reputable upolstry shop. This is the most expensive, and (here in Calgary, Canada) is about $800 to $1,000.

2 Purchasing a used top (in good condition) with the frame and rear window from an auto wrecker. Local prices for this is about $500. It is however more of a fit in place solution. But you will still have to deal with the long cable.

In my opinion, you are probably best to by the top new and do the install yourself. If you follow Brian's instructions, you have the benefit of his expierence and can contact him here for help.

TRF seems to be his second home.
Phil

'87 Cabriolet, "Topless Bunny"
'88 Cabriolet, "Posh Bunny"
'04 Golf
'12 Golf Wagon TDI
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2.0tPassat
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Joined: Wed Mar 24, 2010 10:47 pm
What year is your cabby?: 1982
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Re: kansas convertible insallers/repair

Post by 2.0tPassat »

well im guessing ill just go with thenew ans install my-self route. i do like to do my own work and im sure it feels good to know that you did it yourself after all is done. thanks fellas!! :beer:
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gull
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Re: kansas convertible insallers/repair

Post by gull »

I did mine myself. I'd never done a convertible top before, or any other kind of upholstery work. It's not perfect, but it looks pretty darn good and functions perfectly. Took me one weekend plus a bit (I left the rear window opening uncut, just drove the car around without it, and did it the following weekend.)

If you're even moderately handy, you can do this. :thumbup: None of the steps are complicated, there are just a lot of them.

The reason you won't find a "pop on and go" solution is the way the top is fitted...it has to be trimmed in place to fit the frame.
VW fan who fell to the Honda side of the force
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kamzcab86
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Re: kansas convertible insallers/repair

Post by kamzcab86 »

2.0tPassat wrote: dont wanna try and do this my self due to my short temper and being easly frustrated.
So am I, but the main reason I initially wanted a shop to do it: If a shop screws up, it's their bank account that will hurt, not mine. But, due to circumstances beyond my control, I'll most likely be attempting the 3-layer replacement myself in coming months. One thing I've learned over the years when working on cars: When you start losing your patience and getting frustrated, walk away from the project for awhile. :wink:

The complete DIY top replacement guide can be downloaded from http://www.atomicalex.com/art/VW%20Conv%20Tops_r.pdf . Top suppliers can be found at http://cabby-info.com/top.htm#suppliers .

:beer:
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gull
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Re: kansas convertible insallers/repair

Post by gull »

My biggest piece of advice is to take lots of pictures as you take the old top off. In particular, I found it really helpful to take pictures of how the headliner was attached to the bars and how the rear window frame straps attached. You can cut most of the outer shell away and then take it apart layer by layer, getting pictures of everything to refer to when you reassemble it later. There are some great illustrated guides out there, but there's no substitute for seeing it on your car in a picture you took yourself.

Also, lay a tarp over the seats and carpet before you start...otherwise sooner or later you'll drip a bit of contact cement on one of the seats, and that stuff does not come out of fabric. :banghead:

Oh, and one more thing...there are some points where it's necessary to make cuts on the new top. Think two, three times about these before you touch the blade to the vinyl. Make sure you know where the cut goes and what it's for. Any other mistake you can fix by backtracking, but it's hard to un-cut something.

Other than that, just take your time...if you get frustrated, walk away, maybe have a beer, wait for the calmness to return. It's like any other car repair job that way.
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Briano1234
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Re: kansas convertible insallers/repair

Post by Briano1234 »

kamzcab86 wrote:
2.0tPassat wrote:
The complete DIY top replacement guide can be downloaded from http://www.atomicalex.com/art/VW%20Conv%20Tops_r.pdf . Top suppliers can be found at http://cabby-info.com/top.htm#suppliers .

:beer:
Kammy that is the first draft of the how do I do it....
Katherine didn't have my latest how-to, which has missing pictures. The one that I quoted above was the latest iteration. Katherine was to redo it,but she probably hasn't gotten around to it yet.

The headliner and pad is correct, it is the installing the top part that has the additions.
Briano

Yes as matter of fact, I have the Luck o'the Irish...everything I touch turns to fertilizer of the bovine variety.
You can lead a user to a link, but you can't make him Click.... :screwy:
2.0tPassat
Posts: 4
Joined: Wed Mar 24, 2010 10:47 pm
What year is your cabby?: 1982
Do you own a Cabriolet?: Yes
Location: ft riley, kansas

Re: kansas convertible insallers/repair

Post by 2.0tPassat »

awsome thatsnk for all the info everyone :beer:
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kamzcab86
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Re: kansas convertible insallers/repair

Post by kamzcab86 »

Briano1234 wrote: Kammy that is the first draft of the how do I do it....
Katherine didn't have my latest how-to, which has missing pictures. The one that I quoted above was the latest iteration. Katherine was to redo it,but she probably hasn't gotten around to it yet.

The headliner and pad is correct, it is the installing the top part that has the additions.
Here I thought she had posted that she updated it... Going back, I see I missed a part of her post: "Update at the same link. Thanks, Kam. Brian, I have to finish updating your section. New pics are great." :oops:

Hmmm... either I'll put back the link to the guide here, or I'll just finish it for her! :lol:
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